For Old Times Sake
by HeatherAshley
Summary: Buffy is forced to watch as Willow is murdered.


It was too soon after her mom. She didn't know how she was going to take it. Buffy Summers cradled her best friend in her arms. "Oh, Willow...How could I let this happen?" How am I going to break this to Tara and Xander? Buffy slowly began to rock Willow in her arms. Then the tears started. A vampire...they had faced the end of the world together and she got killed by a newly made vamp?  
  
//She and Will had been walking in the cemetary, patrolling as usual. The rest of the Scooby gang hit the Bronze, but Willow decided that she and Buffy needed some alone time together. Sometimes it felt like they weren't very good friends at all anymore and that was tearing her apart.  
  
"How are you and Tara doing, Will?" Buffy cast a quick side-long glance at Willow before resuming her search for anything that went bump in the night. "Your smoochies make me seriously jealous. Not because I like Tara, but...well, you know."  
  
Willow brightened at the mention of Tara's name. "We've been practicing a lot of good spells lately." Buffy again glanced at Willow, concerned. Some of the spells Willow had been doing lately put her in some serious hurt. "I can make a pencil levitate." Buffy couldn't help but laugh. After all this time, Willow was most impressed with being able to levitate a pencil.  
  
Impulsively, Buffy hugged Willow. It had been quite a while since they had a talk and it felt good. "What about you, Buffy? Are you holding up ok?"  
  
Sighing, Buffy said: "Not really. Sometimes I'll sit down and realize that Mom is gone...The hardest part is that she died from something so mundane. Something I couldn't protect her from. And with Dawn, I have to be in Mom-mode. She's still having a lot of problems now that she knows she's 'just a Key.' I don't think she realizes that she is still my sister. She cries a lot at night."  
  
Buffy looked up to see that there were a large group of people in the back of the cemetary. A group wearing vamp-faces. "Duty calls." Buffy pulled two stakes out of her backpack and tossed one to Willow. Just in case.  
  
Buffy dove right in to the group of vamps and began to stake away. These must be some newbies, she thought. They were just standing their looking stupid, watching as one by one, they all met Mr. Pointy. Once it finally dawned on them that they were dying they began to fight back. Five of them dove at Buffy all at once. Surprisingly, they didn't try to hurt her. They just grabbed her and held on for all they were worth. "Slayer." A woman appeared in front of Buffy. She looked to be about fifteen, and had pale skin, almost white hair, and she was wearing a plain white dress that hung to her ankles. She looked very fragile, but power practically oozed from her. "I am Nicolaos. I am the new Master of this city. Buffy." She winced at the way the vamp's voice carressed her name. "Buffy, don't you realize it's against the rules to involve your friends? Tsk tsk tsk." Nicolaos mockingly shook her head.  
  
"Yeah, well. I live dangerously what can I say?" Buffy's eyes widened as Willow was dragged into her view. "Kill her." Nicolaos waved her hand dismissively. Buffy struggled against her captors. Too late. She was going to be too late. Buffy punched and kicked her way to freedom, spurred on by a burst of adrenalin. Looking around frantically she located her stake. Too late. Scrambling for it, she quickly grabbed it and lunged to her feet, only to find she was alone. Alone except for one.  
  
Running, she knelt at Willow's side and frantically checked for a pulse. None. She was too late. "No, I won't let you die. I won't. Not after I couldn't save my mom. I can protect you from this. Willow, no..." Too late. Bowing her head. "I'm too late again. Willow."//  
  
Buffy sat alone in the cemetary. She sat alone with her best friend and talked to her like old times. She imagined Willows perky answers and the sheepish smile that would have crept across her face. One last time, for old times sake. She sat with Willow and waited for the sun to rise. She kept her stake ready.  
  
She kept it ready in case she had to kill her best friend again.  
  
Too late...  



End file.
